Certification of welders by the National Welding Control Agency: concept and features of implementation

NAKS is the central governing body of the federal certification system for welding production. This body - the National Welding Control Agency - makes decisions regarding the structure of the certification system itself, the direction of operation of this system, and the methods of its operation. In addition, NAKS makes decisions regarding promising directions for the development of the basic rules of operation and interaction of all components of this system, as well as regarding its external relations.

NAKS and its varieties

What is NAKS? The National Welding Control Agency is an organization whose powers include the examination of working personnel, enterprises, technologies, materials and tools. In addition, NAKS is engaged in the development and improvement of regulatory documentation, the publication of training manuals, and consultations during work at particularly critical sites.

Certification can be:

• Primary. Passed by welders who have not previously been certified. The initiative to take the exam can come from the specialist himself, if he is counting on a specific vacancy, or from an enterprise that is taking on a large project or improving the level of qualifications of employees for other reasons.
• Repeated. Relevant for those specialists whose certificate is about to expire.
• Extraordinary. Welders who violated technology and are suspended from work pass through it.
• Additional. Required if an employee needs to expand the scope of certification of a current certificate. In addition, welders who have not worked in their specialty for more than six months take it.

You can find out how to pass the NAKS certification here.

Certification of welding technology NAKS - types of procedures

Types of NAKS certification events:

• primary – for specialists receiving permits for hazardous production areas for the first time.
• periodic – for specialists who need to renew previously obtained NAKS certificates;
• additional - for specialists starting to perform work on specific welding technologies not noted in the already received certificate, for specialists resuming hazardous work after a break of at least 6 months;
• for specialists previously certified by NAKS who were removed from work due to violations of quality standards and non-compliance with technologies controlled and installed by NAKS.

Personnel certification

NAKS for working personnel is carried out at four levels:

1. Welder;
2. Master welder;
3. Welding technologist;
4. Welding engineer.

The responsibilities of a NAKS welder include servicing metal structures at particularly hazardous sites. It is necessary to be able to weld any metals and alloys of any thickness in all spatial positions, as well as perform surfacing, planing, and cutting materials.

It is the responsibility of the certified master welder to give written and verbal instructions that must be carried out by NAKS welders.

Certified welding technologists manage those departments of the enterprise that carry out welding work. Such specialists are responsible for the consistency and quality of production work.

NAKS welding engineers are also responsible for regulatory documents regulating the execution of welding work of all types.

During certification, welders pass theoretical, special and practical exams. You must first pass a practical exam. If the attempt is unsuccessful, it can be repeated no earlier than a month later. You will then be admitted to the remaining two tests.

Who is required to pass?

The following are required to be tested:

• specialists who do not have certificates and plan to work at facilities controlled by the State Technical Supervision Service of Russia;
• specialists authorized to give instructions to other welders;
• heads of departments responsible for the technology of welding work and having the right to sign;
• heads of relevant services of organizations, whose signature is a necessary condition for the approval of regulatory documents of the organization.

Production certification

When certifying welding production, the commission must submit the following documents for consideration:

• Technological map of works;
• Instructions;
• Quality certificates for welding equipment, tools and materials;
• Agreement for periodic monitoring of NAKS;
• List of equipment that has already passed certification;
• NAKS employee certificates.

NAKS employees pay close attention to the completeness of the equipment; compliance of its technical characteristics with the indicators specified in the passport; quality of consumables and strength of welded joints. As a rule, the basis for making a verdict is an assessment of the quality of welding of two parts made of different metals. If it is satisfactory, then the enterprise will be certified.

NAKS – duration of certification activities

Welding specialists undergo certification within 7-14 working days. Welding technology specialists undergo certification within a period of up to 40 working days. Certification of welding equipment is carried out within 7-14 days. Based on the results of the certification, the specialist receives the appropriate NAKS certificate and the minutes of the meeting of the NAKS commission that made this or that decision.

guarantees specialists and their employers the high quality of services offered. Leave a request on our center’s website. Consulting assistance is free!

Documents issued after the exam

If you have completed a training course at one of the NAKS centers and successfully passed the exams, then within 2 weeks you will become the owner of the following documents:

• Certificates of completion of courses;
• Protocol of certification of a welding production specialist;
• Certificates of a certified specialist.

A certified welder can also find his data in the general register. The information is entered there within 2 weeks after successfully passing the exam. Knowing the registration number of your documents, you can not only check their legality, but also obtain duplicates in case of loss or theft.

What is required to pass the exam

Before receiving a certificate, each welder undergoes the following procedures:

1. Collects documents. The package includes a diploma of education, a certificate confirming the rank, a certificate of completion of a medical examination, 2 photos measuring 3 x 4 cm. Additionally, attach a document on completion of advanced training courses, if any.
2. Provides papers to the nearest branch of the national agency, submits an application to take the exam. Pending review. The results are reported within 3 days by sending a written notification to the applicant. It indicates the date of the exam. If recertification is refused, the reasons must be stated.
3. Passes the theoretical part of the exam. Most often it contains 20 questions.
4. Performs practical work in the chosen field. Waiting for exam results. If certification is passed, a NAKS welder's certificate is issued within 2 weeks. The data is entered into an electronic database. If the exam is not passed, a second attempt is allowed after 1-6 months. In this case, the certification fee is paid again.

Attestation certificate

The NAKS certificate is a document that indicates the level of the specialist, contains his photograph and states what types of work the employee is entitled to carry out. In addition, thanks to the certificate you can find out:

• place of certification (geographical reference),
• registration number,
• validity period of the document,
• date of birth of the certificate holder,
• surname and initials of the head of the certification center that issued the document.

NAKS crusts contain a decoding of abbreviations that denote groups of materials to be welded, types of connections, welding positions, etc., so deciphering the entire certificate is quite simple.

The NAKS certificate has a limited validity period. So, for a welder of level 1, the next certification period will be after 2 years, for levels 2 and 3 – after 3 years, for levels 4 – after 5 years. When certifying enterprises, the certificate is valid for 4 years, for a serial batch of consumables - for 3 years, for a small-scale batch of consumables - for 1 year.

There are many offers on the Internet related to the acquisition of a NAKS certificate. Despite the tempting prospect of getting certificates without having to take exams, you should keep in mind that the registration number of the purchased document will not be reflected in the register, so the employer can easily establish its authenticity if desired. In addition, by starting work with a false security clearance, in the event of an unforeseen situation, you may endanger your life and the lives of your colleagues.

Advantages of owning a NAKS document

If an employer needs to select a potential employee for a welder position, he will definitely give preference to a candidate with a NAKS test certificate. A welder with a NAKS certificate has an undeniable advantage. In addition, with a certificate of this kind you can safely and rightfully demand work of a higher level of complexity, accordingly, with a higher salary. If you pay attention to welding jobs for applicants who have a NAKS certificate, you will see that their salaries are significantly higher. At facilities managed by Rostekhnadzor, workers who do not have such a certificate simply do not have the right to work. A large number of enterprises, both private and public, directly stipulate the presence of this document in their admission conditions. For this reason, purchasing a certificate of certification by NAKS significantly increases your competitiveness in the labor market.

How equipment for welding activities is checked

Activities of a high level of responsibility require the use of high-quality and serviceable equipment that meets all specified technical parameters. NAKS also checks equipment for welding activities.

The following should be checked:

• imported welding equipment;
• equipment that the company produces for the first time;
• previously uncertified equipment.

The practical compliance of the equipment with the declared indicators for different types of welding, completeness and compliance of the equipment with GOST requirements must also be checked. Certification certificates are valid for three years, if the device is older than 6 years - one and a half years.

The device subject to inspection must have a condition log in which all information about repair work, movements and checks performed is recorded.

NAKS certificates for welding production

According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, the NAKS certificate is issued for work in the following categories:

1. Boiler installations and accessories.
2. Oil and gas.
3. Metallurgical.
4. Lifting and transport.
5. Mining.
6. Construction.
7. Transportation of dangerous goods.
8. Production in the chemical and oil refining industries.
9. Fire hazardous.
10. Steel bridge structures.

The use of special materials and technologies is of great importance when carrying out welding work. In the future, the stability of structures, life and health of workers depend on them. Based on this, thorough research is carried out. Their goal is to identify safe techniques that perform welding work more efficiently.

NAKS uses special acts with regulatory data, which set out the main requirements for working equipment, materials, and technologies. When working with which the safety of workers must be ensured.

Certification and the resulting NAKS document are the main way to carry out welding work within the legal framework. Carrying out certification activities must comply with all the rules for providing high-quality services, in accordance with the requirements of Russian legislation. The need to urgently obtain a NAKS certificate arises when there is welding work of a certain category. Certifying organizations must carefully check production workers. Also evaluate the materials used, welding methods, and equipment. In most cases, NAKS crusts are in demand by large enterprises. But they are also necessary for individuals.

Rostechnadzor and the Ministry of Labor explain: Training, certification, knowledge testing for welders

Question dated July 29, 2019 on the website “Onlineinspection.RF”:

The company carries out educational activities, in particular, conducts training under vocational training programs within the framework of the issued license for the right to conduct educational activities.

The list of professions for which vocational training is possible in educational organizations (including organizations providing training) is determined by Order No. 513 of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated July 2, 2013 “On approval of the List of professions of workers, positions of employees for which vocational training" (hereinafter referred to as the List of professions) (Appendix 1). According to Order of the Ministry of Education of Russia dated April 25, 2019 N 208 “On amendments to the List of occupations of workers, positions of employees for which vocational training is carried out, approved by Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated July 2, 2013 N 513”, a number of professions or their names change (see appendices 2 and 3).

The staffing table of the structural divisions of the enterprise includes professions of the names specified in the previous edition of the List of professions. These names of professions are possible in the staffing table, because they are indicated among the possible job titles of the corresponding professional standards, and accordingly, do not contradict the requirements of the corresponding professional standard. Professional standards for a number of professions, such as “flaw detector of X-ray and gammagraphy”, “gas cutter”, “gas welder”, “electric and gas welder”, etc., are the only document defining the qualification characteristics of these professions from the moment they were excluded from the ETKS (formerly Order No. 215 of April 9, 2022 “On amendments to some issues of the unified tariff and qualification directory of works and professions of workers”, the qualification characteristics of workers’ professions, such as “flaw detector of X-ray and gammagraphy”, “gas cutter”, “gas welder” were excluded from the ETKS. , “electric and gas welder”, etc.).

Thus, a conflict arises: on the one hand, in the staffing table there is a profession whose name meets the requirements of the professional standard, on the other hand, professional training for this profession is impossible due to its absence in the List of Professions. Is it possible for a worker to be admitted to work in a profession that is included in the staffing table, but not in the List of Professions, subject to the worker’s training in the corresponding profession from the List of Professions, for example, admission to work in the profession “electric and gas welder” of an employee who has undergone vocational training and received the profession “arc welder” welding with a non-consumable electrode in shielding gas? Bringing the names of professions in the staffing table in accordance with those specified in the List of professions is not possible due to the lack of names proposed to replace professions in the preferential lists, which include those excluded/replaced from the List of professions.

Answer: Yes, if this training coincides with the job responsibilities and working methods of an electric and gas welder, then we believe that admission is possible. For additional clarification, you should contact the Federal Service for Environmental, Technological and Nuclear Supervision.

Legal basis: In accordance with clause 5.5.4 of the Government of the Russian Federation of June 30, 2004 N 324 “On approval of the regulations on the Federal Service for Labor and Employment”, this body advises employers and employees on compliance with labor laws and regulations containing labor law norms.

According to clause 1 of the Regulations on the Federal Service for Environmental, Technological and Nuclear Supervision (approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of July 30, 2004 N 401), the Federal Service for Environmental, Technological and Nuclear Supervision (Rostechnadzor) is a federal executive body that carries out the functions of developing and implementation of state policy and legal regulation in the established field of activity, as well as in the field of technological and nuclear supervision, control and supervision functions in the field of safe work related to the use of subsoil, industrial safety, safety in the use of atomic energy (with the exception of activities for the development, production, testing, operation and disposal of nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants for military purposes), the safety of electrical and thermal installations and networks (except for household installations and networks), the safety of hydraulic structures (except for shipping hydraulic structures), production safety, storage and use of explosive materials for industrial use, as well as special functions in the field of state security in this area.

The Federal Service for Environmental, Technological and Nuclear Supervision organizes the reception of citizens, ensures timely and complete consideration of oral and written requests from citizens, makes decisions on them and sends responses to applicants within the period established by the legislation of the Russian Federation (clause 5.6 of the above Government Resolution No. 401).

Question from 02/04/2019:

The gas-electric welder has an education document indicating that he has been assigned the profession of “gas-electric welder of the 3rd category,” and there is also an entry in the work book that he was assigned the 5th category by his previous employer. The employee does not have documents (certificates) regarding the assignment of a new rank. Do we have the right to request from him a document confirming his qualifications? Can we refuse employment for category 5?

Answer: The employer has the right to require, and the employee is obliged to present, a document on education and (or) qualifications or special knowledge when applying for a job that requires special knowledge or special training. We believe that if there is an entry in your work book about the assignment of the 5th category, you do not have the right to refuse employment for the 5th category.

Legal basis: According to Article 65 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation (LC RF), unless otherwise established by the Code and other federal laws, when concluding an employment contract, a person applying for work presents to the employer:

• a document on education and (or) qualifications or the presence of special knowledge - when applying for a job that requires special knowledge or special training.

In some cases, taking into account the specifics of work, the Code, other federal laws, decrees of the President of the Russian Federation and decrees of the Government of the Russian Federation may provide for the need to present additional documents when concluding an employment contract.

It is prohibited to require from a person applying for a job documents other than those provided for by this Code, other federal laws, decrees of the President of the Russian Federation and decrees of the Government of the Russian Federation.

According to clause 7 of Rostechnadzor Order No. 102 dated March 14, 2014 “On approval of Federal norms and rules in the field of industrial safety “Requirements for welding work at hazardous production facilities,” specialists are allowed to perform those types of work in welding production that are specified in their certificates.

In accordance with clause 8 of Rostechnadzor Order No. 102 dated March 14, 2014 “On approval of Federal norms and rules in the field of industrial safety “Requirements for welding work at hazardous production facilities,” the qualifications of welders must meet the requirements established by the Russian Ministry of Labor.

Welders must have a valid certification certificate for the appropriate welding method and have no medical contraindications to the work performed. Information about certificate numbers, their validity periods and welder mark codes must be posted in the public register of certified personnel on the Internet, and certificates must have a corresponding QR code to verify their authenticity. Personal mark codes assigned during certification must be assigned to welders by an administrative document of the organization performing welding work.

Question from 10.2018:

On April 09, 2016, by order No. 215, the Ministry of Labor and Social Development of the Russian Federation excluded the following qualification characteristics of workers’ professions from the Unified Tariff and Qualification Directory of Work and Professions of Workers (ETKS), including:

• "Gas welder" 2-6 categories,
• “Thermite welding welder” 2-5 categories,
• "Electric gas welder" 2-6 categories,
• “Electric and gas welder on automatic and semi-automatic machines” 2-6 categories,
• “Electric welder for manual welding” 2-6 categories,
• "Plastic welder" 1-4 categories.

Previously, on November 28, 2013, by order No. 701n, this Ministry approved the professional standard “Welder”, which establishes the requirement for a welder to have the necessary qualifications of levels 2, 3 or 4 to perform a labor function, corresponding to the ETKS category.

From which it follows that from 04/09/2018, certification of the above welders is impossible, since according to clause 4.8 of PB 03-273-99, “welders with a category not lower than ...” are allowed to undergo initial certification, and in the case “if the candidate independently submits an application for certification, he must have a rank of at least 4.”

How, in this case, is it supposed to carry out certification of welders?

Answer: By Order of the Ministry of Labor of Russia dated 04/09/2018 No. 215, the qualification characteristics of workers’ professions in the field of welding and control were indeed excluded from the Unified Tariff and Qualification Directory of Work and Professions of Workers.

In this regard, one should be guided by Articles 195.1, 195.3 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation and the corresponding professional standards, which provide the characteristics of the qualifications necessary for an employee to carry out a certain type of professional activity, including performing a certain job function.

In the case you indicated - by the professional standard “Welder” (code 40.002, reg. No. 14, order of the Ministry of Labor of Russia No. 701n dated November 28, 2013, registered by the Ministry of Justice of Russia on February 13, 2014, reg. No. 31301). The professional standard “Welder” contains additional characteristics for each generalized labor function that establish the relationship between the excluded qualification characteristics according to the ETKS classification grid and modern qualification characteristics with qualification levels.

In connection with the above, the Rules for the Certification of Welders and Welding Specialists (PB 03-273-99), approved by Resolution of the Gosgortekhnadzor of Russia dated October 30, 1998 No. 63, do not contradict the legislation of the Russian Federation and, accordingly, no changes are required to paragraph 4.8 of PB 03 -273-99.

At the same time, we inform you that, at the proposal of the NAKS Committee on Scientific and Methodological Work, the decision of the Scientific and Technical Council of the NAKS (Minutes dated January 22, 2018 No. 37) approved Appendix No. 1 with a list of documents provided during the initial certification of welding production specialists in connection with changes in the legislation of the Russian Federation concerning vocational education and training.

Link to the NAKS document - protocol dated January 22, 2018 No. 37

Question from 05.2018:

Is certification for Group II electrical safety sufficient for an electric welder performing manual welding?

Answer: In accordance with clause 1.1.5 of the Rules for the technical operation of consumer electrical installations, approved by order of the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation dated January 13, 2003 No. 6, the operation of electrical equipment, including household electrical appliances, subject to mandatory certification, is allowed only if there is a certificate of conformity for These are electrical equipment and household electrical appliances. When connecting the welding machine to the electrical network, you must follow the instructions of the manufacturer of the electric welding equipment.

In accordance with clause 3.1.15 of the Rules, workers who have undergone training, instruction and testing of knowledge of safety requirements, who have an electrical safety group of at least II and the corresponding certificates are allowed to perform electric welding work.

Electric welders who have undergone special training can be assigned, in the prescribed manner, electrical safety group III and higher to work as operational and repair personnel with the right to connect and disconnect portable and mobile electric welding installations from the network.

Thus, assignment of electrical safety group II to an electric welder for manual welding is a sufficient condition if the connection to the electrical network with a plug connector is provided by the manufacturer of the electric welding equipment.

Question from 01/19/2018:

What frequency of knowledge testing should electrical personnel have (electrical and gas welder, mechanic for repairing technological installations, driver, crane operator, tractor operator, line pipeline operator, etc.) with electrical safety groups 2 and 3?

Answer: The Rostekhnadzor Department reviewed the appeal dated January 17, 2018 No. 25/10-og and reports the following.

In accordance with the Rules for the technical operation of consumer electrical installations (approved by order of the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation dated January 13, 2003 No. 6, registered with the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation on January 22, 2003 No. 4145, hereinafter referred to as PTEEP) it is established:

1. According to clause 1.4.3 of PTEEP, electrical engineering personnel are equal in their rights and responsibilities to electrical engineering personnel;
2. According to clause 1.4.20 of the PTEEP, once every 3 years, a regular knowledge test is carried out with labor protection specialists and administrative and technical personnel who do not directly organize or carry out maintenance work on existing electrical installations or perform adjustment, electrical installation, repair work or preventive tests in them , as well as for personnel who have the right to issue orders, orders, and conduct operational negotiations.

The electrical engineering personnel listed in the appeal do not apply to administrative and technical personnel who undergo a knowledge test once every 3 years in accordance with clause 1.4.20, i.e. The listed personnel belongs to electrical engineering, which undergoes a knowledge test once a year.

Application procedure:

To gain access to the NAKS EDF system, you must send the details of your company to the email address (indicate “For access to EDF” in the subject line of the message).

In response to your message, we send you a login and password to log into the system.

After receiving the password, you need to go to the website in the “AUTHORIZATION IN EDO NAKS” section.

First of all, fill in the details of your organization in the “Account” section. Please pay attention to filling out your organization’s personal information in the “Account” section. The data will automatically be used to fill out documents.

Next, you need to fill out an application electronically in the NEW PERSONAL ACCOUNT “Personnel Applications”.

After filling out and saving the application, return to the “Personnel Applications” section and send the electronic application to the Certification Center ( Krasnoyarsk: SSR-GATs

) (left-click on the name of the person being certified and in the menu that opens, select “send to AC”).

In order for a center specialist to check your Application, you must send scanned documents to an email address (lists of documents are listed below);

After verification, a completed printed version of the application will be sent to you by email. The application will need to be printed, signed, sealed and provided to us with all the documents.

The certification process can begin only after providing a complete set of documents.

All copies of documents must be certified. The certification mark includes the word “True”, the position of the person who certified the copy, his signature with a transcript, the date of certification of the copy, as well as the seal of the organization.

Welders levels

According to the NAKS system, there are four levels of professional training:

I is an ordinary welder. Must have a diploma and rank. Persons who have undergone professional training at courses, schools, or at their place of work are allowed for inspection. The minimum work experience in a specific type of welding varies from 6 to 12 months. II - master welder. Must have secondary technical education or higher education, undergo training in advanced training centers. With higher education, work experience is acceptable from 6 months. With an average - 9-36 months. III – welder-technologist. Persons with higher technical education in welding. Work experience from 6 to 12 months and level II certification. If there is no such certificate, the work experience must be 18-36 months. IV - welder-engineer. Persons with higher education in welding production. It is acceptable to not have a higher education diploma in welding if you have academic degrees (doctor, candidate) in technical sciences.

How qualifications are acquired and maintained

Unfortunately, the certificate of certification in the field of welding works NAKS does not have a lifetime validity. Confirmation of qualifications is required by Russian legislation.

Over time, it becomes necessary to confirm your level of skill. The NAKS welder's certificate is valid for a particular period, which is determined by the specific level of certification:

• 2 years - for level I;
• 3 years - for level II;
• 3 years - for level III;
• 5 years - for level IV.

During the recertification process, it is recommended to improve your qualification level (if such a possibility exists). Just like obtaining a certificate, renewing this document is not free. In addition, if your experience as a welder was interrupted for more than six months, the certificate will no longer be valid. It is required to restore qualifications and take exams again. Completing training to become a welder at NAKS is a paid procedure.

NAKS certification for the third and fourth levels cannot be carried out without a protocol from the certification commission of Rostechnadzor on passing the exam. This means that before applying to NAKS you are required to complete a training course from Rostekhnadzor.

Please note that the NAKS certificate is not a universal document. It is valid for a certain type of work activity that is prescribed in it. This means that in order to access other types of work, you must have a different ID. If you fail the exam, you have the opportunity to retake it in a month. However, if you fail to pass the exam again, you will have to take the training a second time.

What type of documents do you receive as a result?

All specialists who successfully pass the required exams, and therefore pass the certification test, are issued a NAKS certificate. This document applies throughout the entire territory of the Russian Federation. At the same time, welders receive a photocopy of the protocol reflecting the act of conducting primary or additional certification. Also, with all of the above, based on the results of the examination, specialists are given a document that confirms the completion of specialized courses conducted immediately before the examination.